Diana stood before the cameras and the microphones and in a quiet, nervous voice began to tell her story about coming to America. The 18-year-old, who will be graduating from high school this year as a member of the National Honor Society, spoke in perfect English. She spoke effusively about her love of Houston and Texas and America. If you were to meet her on the street, you would not have the slightest suspicion she had not been born in this country.

She told about how her older brothers brought her to Houston when she was 7 years old. How she lived with her aunt and uncle for a year until her parents were also able to slip into the country so their family could be reunited.

She also spoke about how she has lived like a ghost in this country. Unable to drive a car, work or plan a future. She spoke about the fear that any random encounter with a police officer might result in her being whisked back to a country that she knew nothing about.

She told about how she was afraid to apply for President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program because it might result in her being deported. But eventually, she was persuaded by the Metropolitan Organization, a grass-roots interfaith community-organizing group, to apply for the program.

As she described the day that she got the news that her application had been approved, tears of joy and relief streamed down her face. She thanked God and said it was by his grace that she now had the opportunity to live outside of the shadows. She now works after school as a film technician and has applied to go to college. She dreams of one day starting her own television network. A big dream, but the kind that sometimes come true in America.

Standing behind and beside her as she told her story were dozens of faith leaders from our community. Although a number of faith traditions were represented, the overwhelming majority of those standing with Diana were Christian. That is hardly surprising. In addition to Jesus' principal message of loving your fellow human beings, the Bible contains many direct and specific admonitions about how Christians are to treat aliens living in their land.

Perhaps the most eloquent is found in the book of Deuteronomy. "God defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens."

This group of faith leaders had come together to publicly call for comprehensive immigration reform but more specifically to condemn a bill passed by the House Judiciary Committee known as the SAFE Act.

The SAFE Act is a rambling collection of various provisions that seek to strengthen enforcement of immigration laws. And a lot of the provisions make some sense. But there are two indefensible provisions.

The first would make presence in the U.S. by a person without the necessary paperwork a crime. Currently, it is only a crime to enter the country without permission. Children who are brought here by adults cannot be prosecuted for illegally entering the country. The SAFE Act exempts children, but only until they are 18. So in a case like Diana's, the SAFE Act would make her a criminal the day she turned 18 if she did not move back to El Salvador.

Currently, there are 1.3 million children living in the U.S. who would face this Hobson's choice if the SAFE Act were to become law. It would also immediately brand as criminals another 1.6 million young people between the ages of 18-24, almost all of whom were brought here as children.

The second provision would effectively repeal President Obama's deferred action program and put Diana, and another 1.6 million like her, back in the shadows, except now they would also be criminals. They would have no hope for a future.

These two amendments were added to the SAFE Act on a straight party vote with every Republican on the committee who was present voting in favor.

It is hard to know where to even begin trying to discuss the idea that we would pass a law that would make almost 3 million young people criminals because they simply followed where their parents led them.

Laying aside the monstrous inequity of such a law, how could it possibly be enforced? What would it cost? Considering that the Justice Department only initiates about 60,000 criminal cases each year, it would take a 50-fold increase in the prosecutorial staff of the Justice Department just to handle all the cases. If it were actually enforced, we would need millions of new jail cells. And it is anyone's guess what the effect would be on our economy. The whole notion is beyond ill-conceived.

But the political implications for the Republican Party are even worse. This is not just the Republican Party shooting itself in the foot once again. This is stepping on a land mine. Even if the Republicans ultimately block these 3 million young people from becoming citizens and voting, there are millions more right behind them who were born in this country and will be able to vote in the near future. Nearly 1 million Latinos turn 18 each year. More than 90 percent of them were born in this country. Many of them have family members or friends that the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee just voted to condemn as criminals. I could be wrong about this, but I am just guessing they are probably going to have a somewhat dim view of the Republican Party.

But what I find most disgusting about this vote is its utter hypocrisy. Many Republicans, including some who voted for the SAFE Act, are quick to claim that America is a Christian nation and cloak themselves in sanctimonious religiosity. It hard to imagine anything more antithetical to Jesus' teaching than this proposed law.

At the press conference where Diana related her story, Lutheran Bishop Mike Rinehart said it best by paraphrasing a famous passage from Matthew's Gospel: "When I was hungry, you checked my immigration status before you gave me food. When I was thirsty, you checked my immigration status before you give me something to drink.

When I was naked, you checked my immigration status before you clothed me. When I was a stranger, you checked my immigration status before you welcomed me. This is not the Bible's witness. We must oppose any legislation that criminalizes serving your neighbor."

That passage in Matthew goes on to warn that we will one day be judged on how we have dealt with those in need. I would hate to have to stand in judgment on that day knowing that I had voted to make 3 million innocent young people criminals.

The Gospels record only a few occasions when Jesus became angry, and it was never with sinners. His ire was always directed at the sanctimonious religious leaders of his time. Religious hypocrisy was the one thing that he could not abide. And neither can the American people.

King's columns appear Thursday and Sunday. Email King at weking@weking.net and follow him at twitter.com/weking.